On his blog this week, Mark Wallace takes a bold stand on the movement that has captured the world’s attention. Read more
June 8, 2020
As a nation, we are living through a pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives and a social justice movement that rivals that of the 1960s. These two events are impacting us all in monumental ways, all while we attempt to work, raise children, support family members and build communities. Our Spiritual Care Department would like to remind employees of several options for support. They are also seeking additional information that might help meet employee needs even more.
Reminders
The West Tower Chapel is open 24/7 and can be accessed for prayer and meditation. The Tree of Hope is also available for employees to write and post prayers.
If you’d like to speak directly with a chaplain, please call the main number at 832-824-0000 and ask for the Chaplain-on-Call to be paged.
If you would like to receive a daily prayer from the Texas Children’s Spiritual Care Department, send an email to Spiritca@texaschildrens.org. You will begin receiving the Nurture Notes daily email.
What else would help?
Please help the Spiritual Care Department gather even more information by sending answers to the following questions to connectnews@texaschildrens.org
Which services would you be interested in?
- Virtual prayer sessions
- Virtual meditations
- Video counseling
- Passages or scriptures
- Devotions
- Other?
How often would you like to hear from spiritual care leaders?
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Other?
How do you receive spiritual encouragement best?
- Individual conversation
- Group conversation
- Music
- Reading
- Other?
In keeping with our broader effort to adjust our policies and procedures as needed during this pandemic, Texas Children’s is making updates to its Travel Guidelines, which are outlined below. Please note that although the summertime represents a period of heightened travel for many, the COVID-19 virus remains prevalent across our communities, and as such the CDC is still advising against any non-essential travel. Effective Saturday, June 6:
- All Texas Children’s workforce members (employees, Baylor faculty or staff members) are now permitted to travel anywhere within the continental United States via ground transportation or by airplane, and will not be subject to a 14-day quarantine upon return as long as they are asymptomatic.
- All workforce members are still asked to refrain from traveling internationally or on a cruise. Those who choose to do so will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return, and will need to use PTO for the duration of their quarantine period or take an unpaid leave.
- Despite the widespread lifting and loosening of restrictions put in place to counter the spread of COVID-19, this remains an ongoing and fluid situation. COVID-19 cases have been reported in every state, with some areas having higher prevalence than others. Given the increased risk of contracting COVID-19 from traveling to one of these locations, Texas Children’s Travel Guidelines could change quickly in response to a sudden surge in activity. If an employee is visiting an area that sees a sudden spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases, he or she will be required to self-quarantine upon return and will need to use PTO or take unpaid leave.
- If you are planning to travel, we strongly encourage you to review this guidance – also available here in Spanish – for tips on how to protect yourself and others during any trip. While traveling, remain vigilant about washing your hands often, practicing social distancing and wearing a face mask or covering when in public. Also consider the risks of each mode of transportation and the prevalence of COVID-19 throughout the country.
- During the 14 days after returning from any travel, be sure to monitor yourself for any potential symptoms of COVID-19. If you become symptomatic or learn you may have been exposed to the virus anywhere, please contact Employee Health or Medical Staff Support Services for guidance regarding our COVID-19 employee testing program. We remain committed to state-of-the-art testing for COVID-19 and appropriate contact tracing to minimize the spread of the virus in our workplace.
Contact information for Employee Health and Medical Staff Support Services can be found on the COVID-19 Resources site.
Thank you for all that you’ve done to adhere to these guidelines, as well as model safe practices to protect yourselves and others.
June is transition time at academic teaching hospitals throughout the nation. Newly graduated medical students are preparing for orientation and the start of their residency education. At the same time, current residents and fellows graduate to either practice or embark on additional specialty training. Pediatric residents spend 3-5 years refining their clinical skills and are the frontline providers for countless patients in our hospitals and clinics throughout the Texas Children’s Hospital system.
On May 30, the Baylor Department of Pediatrics celebrated a virtual graduation banquet for the 57 pediatricians and four chief residents who are finishing their pediatric residency training at Baylor and Texas Children’s this month.
The majority of these graduates first began their training in Houston in June 2017 and quickly became essential personnel during Hurricane Harvey. They now end their residency training during a pandemic with the same flexibility, resilience and dedication with which they began it. Eighteen of the graduates will enter into practice in primary care clinics and hospitals and 38 are beginning additional training in pediatric specialties, the majority remaining at Texas Children’s.
We congratulate them for this milestone and appreciate their dedication and service throughout their time with us here at Texas Children’s.
Hope in a mess
The following passage was written by Texas Children’s Chaplain Jessica Shannon.
One of my favorite ways to describe the Chaplain’s role is to say “We help people find hope in a mess.” Everyone’s sources of hope are different and they can change with our situations. Not only have we all found ourselves lost and in some sort of a mess throughout our lives, but it seems like 2020 is quite the mess itself.
When the pandemic began, we instantly started living in a time of uncertainty. At all of our campuses, we have seen censuses drop and we see our colleagues less as our schedules are altered. We have stayed at home as much as possible to protect ourselves and each other. Lock downs, school cancellations, and businesses closing made it appear as if our city, our state, our nation, and the world, were all experiencing what our families feel when they are hospitalized unexpectedly. Everything was turned upside down in an instant.
The families we serve all are in some sort of a mess, and it is these very people who teach us how to cope in the midst of fear. In their normal lives outside of Texas Children’s, many of them find hope in their faith. They find hope in cheering on their favorite team with friends and fellow fans. They find hope in a good hike at a Texas State Park or walking their dogs. They find hope in a good book, board games with their kids, or someone offering to pray for them. When our patients and families are admitted, they may no longer have access to the things that help them. Perhaps their child’s diagnosis will keep them from attending school or playing soccer. Perhaps their admission is long, and visitation restrictions are weighing heavily on them without access to friends, family, and their faith community other than Zoom and FaceTime. Despite the new normal, our families find new hope in the darkness. They have to dig deeper sometimes, but they find the hope they need to move forward.
We can learn from our families and discover new sources of hope. Even as our hospital and our city begins to reopen, we will find hope in ways we never have. We find hope in live stream services held by our churches, synagogues, and mosques. We find hope in people using their voices and comforting each other. We find hope in giggles among staff. We find hope in a great game of Emotional Uno with a patient and seeing the child laugh for the first time in a long time. We find hope in teachers who make sure their students feel valued from a distance. Hope is there. We just have to look for it.
My encouragement to each of you is to pause and reflect on what helps you to take another step each day. As you watch the news, scroll through social media, provide compassionate care to a family, or adjust to changes at home and work, think about what gives you hope in the mess. Then, make an effort, to include your sources of hope in your day. We can get through any mess together.
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” Desmond Tutu
June 7, 2020
Every year, the Department of Organizational Resilience holds a Hurricane Preparedness Bridge Event on The Auxiliary Bridge to offer tips on how to get ready for the year’s hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
Due to COVID-19 and the safety measures Texas Children’s has put into place to protect our staff, patients and families during the pandemic, this year’s event has been moved online via Microsoft Teams Live. Scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Thursday, June 11, the event will include presentations from Texas Children’s Wellness Team and Employee Assistance Program, Texas Children’s Social Work Team, Texas Children’s Amateur Radio Team, Texas Children’s Decontamination Team, Organizational Resilience Team, Harris County Flood Control District, and the National Weather Service.
All presentations will repeat every 15-20 minutes with question and answer sessions. National Weather Service and Harris County Flood control district have two schedule sessions each.
To join the event, click here:
Harris County Flood Control District Session 1: 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Harris County Flood Control District Session 2. 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.
National Weather Service Session 1. 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
National Weather Service Session 2. noon to 12:30 p.m.
There will be a virtual bridge event bingo game. Each presenter will end their presentation with a key word. You will write the key word down for that spot on the bingo card. When done, write your name and email address on the bingo card and email it in for a prize drawing. Instructions are on the card. Click here to view the bingo card.
The Department of Organizational Resilience also is offering virtual hurricane preparedness presentations to requesting departments. This year, these presentations will be given virtually via Microsoft Teams. To request a presentation, please email EmergencyMgmt@texaschildrens.org.
For more information on how you can prepare for this year’s hurricane season, click here.
June 2, 2020
National Running Day is just around the corner and what better time than now to become more active. All across the country Wednesday, June 3 is the annual appreciation for running as a sport — and as an avenue to overall health and well-being.
Getting out and exercising — especially during this pandemic — can help keep your stress levels down and your spirits high. In a world where social distancing is becoming normal, we can still get out and exercise with peers as a way to stay connected to one another. Now more than ever it is important to know that we are not alone during this pandemic. We are encouraging you to mask up, get out for a jog and consider becoming part of the Texas Children’s running community.
“Running has such great benefits for our physical health, emotional health and mental health,” said Kelley Hernandez, running team coordinator for Texas Children’s Hospital. “As we all continue to navigate life with the coronavirus, it’s especially important that we manage our stress as well so that we can take care of ourselves and others.”
What’s even better is that you can get healthy and support Texas Children’s Hospital at the same time through the Chevron Houston Marathon/Aramco Houston Half Marathon “Run for a Reason” program.
If you are interested in running the Chevron Houston Marathon/Aramco Houston Half Marathon — Sunday, January 17, 2021 — on behalf of Texas Children’s Hospital register at texaschildrens.org/houstonmarathon.